My Wife...

My wife is extraordinary.

Although this is true, it seems a little lacking in magnitude. 

I could include gorgeous, funny, wicked and charming as descriptors, all of which are true, but they aren't really pertinent to what I'm talking about. 

Instead, I will try a list to see if I can properly convey the entirety that is my wife's awesomeness:

* She is clearly stronger than I am. 

She chooses to teach Special Needs children as a profession while coming home to an autistic child at night. She could do any other career she wanted, but decided to make a difference as a teacher. Yes, I am always called upon to brutishly carry heavy things from point A to point B, but she is, without question, the pillar of strength in this family. It's funny, because she often refers to me as her 'rock', but I would be nothing but wet sand without her to hold me together.

* She is insightful.

Kids fall down, they cry, they run to their Mommy. Kids get scared, they cry, they run to their Mommy. Kids go to their room, they fall silent, Mommy runs to them.

* She is patient.

In our world of ABA, DTT, IEP, and other fun acronyms, she manages to see the log-term big picture and doesn't lose her cool over short-term setbacks. Meltdowns are normal, she says, like the waves of the ocean: some are smooth, some are rough, you just ride out the rough waves until they pass.

* She is tireless.

This life is not easy. There are days when you want to throw your hands up and say 'Enough!'. My wife thinks these thoughts, just like the rest of us, but she linebackers them aside and keeps going. This is not due to a lack of self-worth or a sense of martyrdom, it is because of an understanding of her value and impact to our children.

* She is a Ninja Butterfly

Life changes every day. It throws curveballs, fastballs, and sometimes tries to knock your helmet off. My wife adjusts to all of these changes as if she was prepared for them, waiting to metamorphasize. At her core, though, remains the amazing woman I fell in love with many years ago.

She is my daily hero. She is my inspiration. I am, quite humbly, her life partner.